Grass shears



July 13, 1954 J. L, SMITH 2,683,311

GRASS sHEARs Filed March 18, 1953 2` Sheets-Sheet 1 'F a. E'. l

INVENTOR. JUST/N L, SM/TH HTTORNEY J. L. SMITH GRASS SHEARS July 13, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 18, 1953 mmv v l JNVENTOR. Jus-r//v L, SM/TH HTTOR/VEY Patented July 13, 1954 GRASS SHEARS Justin L. Smith, Watertown, Conn., assignor to Seymour, Smith & Son, Inc., Oakville, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application March 18, 1953, Serial No. 343,105

9 Claims. (Cl. Sli-248) 1 i This invention relates to garden implements and more particularly to improvements in shears adapted for trimming grass, shrubs and the like.

One object of the present invention is to provide a grass shears of the above nature having. a iixed blade and a movable blade, the latter being operated by a handle which is'swingable in a vertical plane.

A further object is to provide a grass shears of the above nature, in which the movable blade is mounted to Swing over the xed blade without being pivoted thereto, in such a manner that the tension between the blades will automatically be varied according to the toughness of the material to be cut.

A further object is to provide a grass shears of the above nature, which will be streamlined, provided with non-pinching handles, having a concealed opening spring, and an eicient catch for keeping the shears closed when not in use...

A further object is to provide a grass shears of the above nature which will be simple in construction, comfortable in use, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and manipulate,

compact, ornamental in appearance, having an catch.

Fig. i is a longitudinal sectional View of the same, shown on an enlarged scale in closed position. V

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View, takenon the broken line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The present invention relates to that typeoi grass shears which is operated by a pair of .1,

handles in a vertical plane, vat right angles to the horizontal cutting blades.

The present invention relates to improvements over grass shears of the type disclosed inthe three prior patents to Keiser, No. 2,281,977 granted May 5, 1942; No. 2,407,237 granted September 10, 1945; and No. 2,607,114 granted August19, 1952.

In the improved grass shears herein disclosed,Y -the upper Vliorizontal movable .blade is actuatedI ad described.- f

lagainst it at all times.

by a vertically movable handle member, so ar ranged as to have a cutting engagement with the fixed blade attached to a xed handle. The moving blade has no direct connection to the xed bladeY and is joined to the movable handle by an angular link in such a manner as to permit the moving blade to be raised or tilted in proper contact with the fixed blade throughout the entire length of cut.

In order to obtain the full benefit of the cutting action, the movable blade is automatically tensioned, and is free iioating. In other words it is so connected to the movable handle, that when the latter is being closed, the movable or active blade will not only swing freely over the fixed blade but also will be forcibly pressed Since the active blade is free floating, the force which it exerts against the xed blade will adjust itself automatically according to the toughness of the material being cut.

Moreover, in the improved shears herein disclosed, the blades are not pivotally connected together, but the movable blade is connected to a rockable blade holder, which in turn is pivot- -ally joined to the fixed handle-the movable blade is also connected at its rear end to the forward end of the angular link,

The edge of the movable blade is forcibly pressed against the nxed blade, not only by the angular link, but also by a light wire spring mounted in the blade holder and engaging the inside of the xed handle.

Referring new to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts vthroughout the several views, the numeral li! indicates a bottom fixed blade having a pointed end and a beveled cutting edge il. The rear end of the fixed blade I :l is apertured and widened at l2, and is rigidly connected by a pair of headed screws i3 and ifi, and a pair of nuts i5 and I6, to a pair of depressed, outstanding bottom ears i8 and it, forming part of a topy channeled vertical fixed handle member i?.

Provision is also made of an upper movable blade 2i! having a beveled cutting edge 2| cooperating with the beveled edge Il of the bottom fixed blade i.

The movablev top blade 2li is provided at its rear end 22 With a central upwardly extending apertured recess 23 for receiving a short headed vertical pivot pin 2li provided with a nut 25 fitting upon an apertured cup-shaped base il of an angulark blade holder 10, to be hereinafter The rear end of the movable blade 2B also has a side ear apertured for connection to a vertical screw 2l, which serves to pivotally attach said blade 2U to an angular horizontal link All.

Provision is also made of an interior movable vertical handle 28 or" channeled construction, which is pivotally mounted on a horizontal bolt 2S: located in a pair of apertures in the forward side sections oi the channeled stationary handle il, said bolt 2G having rivet heads 3U, 3i, outside of said side sections. The handle 28 has a pair of stop shoulders 28a and 2Gb (Figs. 4 and 5) which limit the opening and closing movements of said handle by their engagement with the opposite edges of the rear of the blade holder 4i).

Provision is also made of a horizontal bolt 3m extending through the side sections of the fixed handle il and a pair or" inclined rear webs 2, i3 oi the blade holder Gil. The bolt Sia has a nut Sib at one end and a head 3io at its other end, outside the iixed handle il.

In order to normally maintain the blades of the shears in open position, provision is made of a laminated leaf spring 3e pressing against a cross-pin connecting the sides of the movable handle said leaf spring being joined at its rear end to the top of the fixed handle il by means or" a vertical rivet 35.

The leaf spring 35i provided with a downwardly oilset laterally arched rear extension 3B for engaging selectively upon the edge of the squared upper end of a thin handle catch 3l which is connected to the side sections of the rear portion o the stationary handle il by means or" a small horizontal pivot pin 38.

The catch Si is provided at its forward end with a side slot 39 which is adapted to engage within a slot 33a in the rear of the movable handle 2t.

rEhe angular blade operating link fill is provided with an inwardly bent apertured end (i5 r'rorn which depends a ringer-protecting rearwardlyconcave ear io, most clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The inwardly extending end 4b of the link 44 forwardly of the ear the is connected to the curved bottom portion of the movable handle 23 by means oi an inclined opstanding short screw ilib having a bottom slotted conical head 33e, as best shown Fig, 4 of the drawing.

Provision is also made of a i-shaped light wire spring 6 having a forward loop 41 engaging the under side oi' the stationary handle l1, and having outstanding ends :'19 fitted into small apertures in the side web-s di, 43 of the blade holder 8. ln order to limit the closing movement of the blade Z9, a vertical stud E@ extending through the movable blade 2e is provided and is adapted to engage the edge of the iixed blade.

Operation In operation, assuming the grass shears to be in the closed latched position shown in Figs. l and a, the first step will be to swing the catch 31 ianually in an outward direction to permit the laminated spring trl to cause the movable blade 2e to open. The blades it and 29 will then be in the open position shown in Fig. of the drawing, and will tend to remain in this position due to the action oi the leaf spring 34.

When it is desired to cut the grass or other material with the shears, the operator will grasp the vertical handles il and 2t in one hand, squeezing the lower movable handle 28 upwardly, causing the blade 2i) to move 'from the open 4 position shown in 2 to the closed position shown in Fig. l. During this action, the angular link 44 will swing the blade 2i? about the short vertical pivot pin 213 on the blade holder i9 causing said blade 2t to move over the stationary blade lil and sever the grass or other material located between said blades.

It will be understood that the looped wire spring 41, by its attempt to open, tends to turn blade holder 4t about the bolt Sie and thereby press said holder down upon blade ESB, whereby it will insure positive engagement of the cutting edges of the blades against each other all times, even though the handles il and are not being pressed together by the hand the operator.

t will also be understood that when the liandles are being closed, the angular lint: will pull upwardly upon the side ear 2e and the movable blade 20 about the vertical pivot pin 2li of the blade holder lill, and at the saine time will rock the movable blade 2li and the blade holder 4i! about the horizontal pivot bolt Sie.

The effect of this operation will be to pull the movable blade 2e down against the blade lil in such a manner that the tougl the rhaterial being cut, the greater will be :le pressure between the cutting edges of the An important advantage of the improved grass shears herein disclosed, is that most the operating parts and pivotal connections enclosed Within the channeled handle members and are thereby protected from dirt, grass clippings, etc.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this i is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and ernbodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit.

In short, the invention includes all the modl- Iications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a grass shears, a pair oi superimposed horizontal cutting blades, the lower ci 'blades being stationary and having a ii l channelshaped handle rigidly connected t loreto, the upper blade being movable and having a vertical pivot connection at its rear end to a blade which is connected at its rear end by means of a horizontal pivot to the sides oi said iiiied handle, an angular linlr member connected to f" ear on said movable blade and inwardly extending rear end connected a screw to the bottoni portion of a channel dle, whereby when the movable ha squeezed upwardly by the operators movable blade will be swung over the nace ola-de, without moving the stationary blade in anv ner.

2. The invention as donned claim. l, in which provision is made oi a tl-shaped t cured to said blade holder and enga side of the fixed handle for 'press blade against said stationary blade.

3. The invention as defined in claim l, in which a vertical stud is provided near the rear or movable blade to limit the closingv movement of said movable blade by engagement with the edge of said stationary blade.

4. The invention as defined in claim l, in which a depending protecting rearwardly concave ear is provided on the lower end of said connecting link to prevent injury to the users finger.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1, in which the blade holder is provided with an inverted cupshaped base for embracing the head of said vertical pivot screw, said head being ush with the bottom surface of said movable blade.

6. The invention as dened in claim 1, in which the blade holder is provided witha pair of parallel spaced apart Vertical webs which are apertured to receive said horizontal pivot which is connected to the sides of the xed handle at a point forwardly of the end of the movable handle.

'7. The invention as dened in claim l, in which the connecting link for operating themovable blade is located below the pivotal connection between the movable blade holder and the xed handle whereby the cutting pressure between the blades will be enhanced.

8. In a grass shears, a bottom horizontal stationary cutting blade, a top horizontal movable free floating cutting blade superimposed on said bottom blade and having no direct connection therewith, a fixed vertical channeled handle rigidly connected to said bottom blade, a movable vertical channeled handle embraced by and connected by a horizontal pivot to said fixed handle, an upstanding blade holder connected to the rear of said movable blade and also connected to said xed handle by a horizontal pivot pin, and a link member connected at one end to a side ear on the rear of said movable blade, and at its other end to the bottom portion of said movable handle for swinging said free oating movable blade with respect to said stationary blade.

9. The invention as defined in claim 8, in which light spring means are mounted in said holder and engaging said xed handle to urge the edge of said movable blade against the edge of said stationary blade at all times.

No references cited. 

